Archives for July 2016

When Elise, my oldest, was 9 months old. She got her first diaper rash. It was one of the first times she was in pain and I was clueless on what to do. I called the doctor and they prescribed her a cream, but after a couple of days, the rash only got worse. Every time I changed her diaper she cried and screamed in a way I had never heard. I knew I had to do something fast.

I scoured the internet for help. Every time I came across an “easy” homemade cream, it looked far from it… essential oils, beeswax, cook it down…WHAT?!

Then I came upon some ingredients that seemed doable. This cream has worked so effectively on all my kids that no one has ever had a rash as severe as Elise’s. As soon as I see the first signs of a rash I whip up this cream and the rash heals within days, if not sooner. I normally make a good amount at a time, so that I will have enough on hand to give to the sitter as well as keep some at the house until the rash is completely healed.

We’ve all been there. You are a new parent and feel clueless and helpless. While you were pregnant you bought all the books and read up on pregnancy and the first year of your baby’s life. But somehow everything you have read until this point hasn’t given you any answers or treatments of the most common baby issues new parents come across.

Baby Acne

Your precious baby has just been born and you suddenly begin to see red and white spots and irritation on your baby’s face. Baby acne is very common in newborns. What I recommend is after washing your hands thoroughly is to express some breast milk, dip your finger in the milk, and gently dab the irritated areas and let dry. Do this 1-2 times daily. The breast milk will help soothe the irritated areas and also help with the swelling and redness.

Clogged Tear Ducts

You will notice clogged tear ducks when you see yellow crust or “sleep” begin to form in the corner of your babies eyes. This mucus will be CONTINUE READING

When my husband and I were dating, I just knew he was going to be a good dad. At the beginning of our relationship, I saw glimpses of the kind of father he was going to be. We would always talk about having a family and I would joke that he would be the “fun” parent. I pictured him secretly giving our kids a cookie after I said no or being the one the kids ran to when I fussed at them. Somehow, I just knew I would be the strict one and I’d have to keep everyone in line. That’s what moms do anyway right?

What I didn’t realize was that parenting is a group effort. It’s about teamwork. Naturally, as a mom, I felt that when I had an infant I did most of the work. Exclusively breastfeeding my little ones for the first 4 weeks meant I was up the majority of the night. Wait, who am I kidding… I was pretty much up from sundown to sun up most nights. I would get upset that being a mom meant that most of the work fell on me.

But as the kids got older I felt a shift of the parenting responsibilities. Now, CONTINUE READING

Gretchen Dauzat is a wife, mom to 4, entrepreneur, and writer. Her passion is to empower moms to realize, cultivate, and pursue their passions beyond motherhood. When not folding loads of laundry, you can find her having a dance party with her family or listening to a great audiobook.